


From Phoenix Ashes in Spring

by CrystalRoza19, NeonCrayons



Series: Autumn Beauty, Burns Gold [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Age Swap AU, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Gen, Multi, Platonic Bumbleby (because Yang is underage), Qrow is dad shaped, Raven Stayed, Ruby calls Raven mom, Summer left, Whiterose
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-09-16 04:01:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16946625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalRoza19/pseuds/CrystalRoza19, https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeonCrayons/pseuds/NeonCrayons
Summary: What if Summer was the one to abandon Team STRQ?What if Raven had stayed?What if Ruby was the older sister?How different would the world of Remnant be?Ruby Rose and her younger sister Yang are all set to begin their first year at Beacon Academy.With friendships forged, dangers untold and secrets revealed, the two sisters will definitely be in for the adventure of a lifetime.Whether or not that is a good thing… Well, that remains to be seen.





	1. Rule Breaking! A hobby Yang Xiao Long does not engage in

Yang was in so much trouble. Her dad was going to  _ kill _ her—that is, if her big sister didn’t get to her first. She was already in a world of trouble for getting expelled from Signal just a few weeks ago, and the first night she gets away from home what does she do? Start a fight in a club she’s not even old enough to legally enter. They were  _ so  _ shipping her off to Atlas after this.

Ruby, her sister, was sitting right next to her in the detention hall—she was meant to be debriefed after attempting to stop a Dust shop from being robbed, but now she was berating her younger sister for her sheer irresponsibility.  When she'd first seen Yang being brought into the Vale police department, Ruby had been furious; but her disappointment felt far worse.

Suddenly, the door to the room they were being held in opened, admitting a tall man with shocking white hair, who held a cane and a plate of cookies, and a fierce blonde woman brandishing a riding crop. Yang didn’t quite recognise the woman, but that man… she’d know the most famous Huntsmen in all of Vale anywhere.

Seeing them, Ruby stood up and bowed to Professor Ozpin, quickly offering him an apology on Yang’s behalf for her actions tonight. 

“Now, Miss Rose, it is quite alright,” he said calmly, motioning for her to sit back down. Placing the dish in front of the girls, he took the seat across from them.

Ozpin took a moment to stare at Ruby, his intense focus completely directed at her . “You … have silver eyes,” he commented, the statement holding a slight question in it.  Ruby blushed and looked away, shoving a cookie into her mouth. Yang knew she got uncomfortable whenever people brought up the strange hue of her eyes.

“And you, Miss Xiao Long …” Ozpin continued, looking away from Ruby, over to the blonde girl sitting quietly, also munching on a cookie. “You’re quite the trouble maker, aren't you? Expelled from combat school for injuring another student in a non-sanctioned fight, along with a very long list of other counts of violent encounters with your fellow students. Not to mention your little scuffle in that nightclub tonight.” 

Although the words themselves indicated that Ozpin disapproved, Yang couldn’t quit help but feel that  there was a little bit of praise hidden in his voice. “I don’t like  _ causing  _ trouble … it just seems to follow me, like I’m some kind of magnet for it,” she responded, her eyes downcast. It was true; while tonight she may have sought out the dangers of the criminal-infested nightclub, most of the time she just seemed to be in the wrong place, or say the wrong thing and cause a fight to break out. 

The professor pulled his scroll out from his pocket and placed it down in front of the younger girl, before pressing play on the video queued up. It was of her, fighting in the club. “You are an exceptional fighter, Miss Xiao Long, far beyond what your present combat training would suggest. Would you mind telling me who taught you how to fight like that?” he asked. “It’s just that I see so few trained Huntsmen who utilize the combination of hand-to-hand combat and weaponry like that…”  

“My father, Taiyang. He teaches at Signal. He’s been training me to fight since I was a kid,” Yang explained proudly. “He’s sending me to Mistral to finish my combat training, but once I’m done I’ll be coming back to apply to Beacon! To continue my training as a Huntress!” 

“Hm … you wish to slay Monsters?” he asked, taking back his scroll. 

Yang shrugged her head, “I guess, mostly I want the adventure, a life where i never know what to expect tomorrow.” looking down at her hands, Yang thought of the other reason she wanted to become a Huntress. “But… I wouldn’t mind protecting the world too, to be like my mom and fight for what's right … to  _ help  _ people.” Thinking of her mother, it made her smile with both sadness and determination. 

Taking a moment to take in her words, Ozpin gave her a smile in return. “Do you know who I am?” 

“You’re Professor Ozpin. Headmaster of Beacon Academy.” Yang said easily. As if there was  _ anyone _ who didn’t know who the man was. 

“You wish to come to my school?” 

The young blonde nodded her head enthusiastically. “Absolutely!”  

**\---**

“I can’t believe after all that trouble you caused, they rewarded you by skipping you ahead two years!” Ruby said indignantly to her younger sister, as the two stared out the large window of the airship taking them to Beacon. 

Yang smirked. “Jealous?” she sniggered, trying not to laugh at the sour look on her sister’s face. “Hey, think about it this way—you’ll have me with you to help you make new friends!” 

Ruby sputtered, “I don’t need your help making friends! I can do so on my own just fine, thank you very much!” This time, Yang did laugh—her older sister was the most socially awkward person she knew. 

As Yang’s laughter faded, the two fell silent and Yang took a moment to look at Ruby. She suddenly seemed so much more mature—gone were the frilly skirts and high-necked dresses of her youth. She now wore a long-sleeved, flowing black dress, with a white blouse-like front, over which was brown corset. She still wore her same old cloak, though, pinned in place with her customary crosses, and the feathers from their mom. 

Maybe she  _ had _ grown up. Yang guessed that if that were true, she wouldn’t need her little sister’s help to get by, after all. Smiling to herself, Yang looked back out the window just in time to see the school come into view. Their next adventure was just about to start. 


	2. Meet new people. What's the worst that could happen?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sisters have arrived at Beacon. Ruby has some... interesting first encounters with people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by the awesome Tegan-pen-name-pending.

Ruby’s first true look at Beacon Academy was more amazing than she could have ever imagined. The tower felt like it was pulled straight out of a fairy tail, and that was just the start. She looked around excitedly, taking in the sights.

“This place looks so cool! Just like Dad and Uncle Qrow always said!” Yang exclaimed, echoing Ruby’s thoughts. It truly was. This was where they would spend the next four years of their life training to become Huntresses.  _ Nothing _ could be better than this. 

With determination, Ruby began to head towards the enormous building, only to be barreled over as her sister rushed off into the crowd of people. Sighing in exasperation, she began to get up and dust herself off just in time for an angry girl in white to make her trip and fall over once again, this time over an assortment of cases being pushed just behind her.

“Hey! Watch it, you dunce!” the stranger yelled. “Do you have any idea of the damage  you could have done?” 

Ruby’s mind totally blanked, until she noticed the coloured powder coming out of one of the cases on the ground. Blushing in embarrassment, Ruby stood back up and put her hands out in a placating gesture to the other girl. “I am so sorry!” she apologized, going over to  pick up one of the cases, “but you really should have watched where you were going.”

 “ _ I  _ should have watched where I was going?” the girl exclaimed hotly. “Excuse you, but do you have any idea of who I am? I’m Weiss Schnee, as in the Schnee Dust Company?” 

Ruby attempted to say something in response, but Weiss cut in before she could even get a word in edgewise: “And give me that!” She snatched the case from Ruby’s hands, spilling Dust onto Ruby’s clothes. “This is _Dust,_ mined and purified at the Schnee Quarry ...” Weiss continued to lecture her, opening the case up to inspect the contents as she did. She picked up one red vial, waving it around as she got more and more riled up.

Ruby paid her no mind—figuring that no matter what she said, the other girl would probably take further offense—and started to brush herself down. Unbeknownst to either girl, the Dust on her clothes flew into the air, where it mixed with the other Dust that was escaping from the vial Weiss was still violently shaking at her. 

A moment later, the air erupted in a massive explosion of fire, lightning, and ice. Ruby was knocked off her feet . 

After the shock wore off Ruby, and Weiss—who had also been knocked down in the explosion—stood back up and glared heatedly at one another. “Look at what you did! This is  _ exactly  _ what I was afraid of!” Weiss seethed. 

“Me? I'm not the one shaking vials of Dust around while going on about how dangerous they are!” Ruby countered. “If anyone needs to be more careful it's  _ you _ , Princess!”

“It's Heiress, actually,” came the voice of another girl. “Weiss Schnee, Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company.” 

Looking over, Ruby saw a black-haired girl approaching, holding the vial Weiss had earlier. It must have been flung away in the explosion. 

“Finally! Some recognition,” Weiss said smugly, flashing Ruby a haughty glance. Ruby merely raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. 

“The  _ same _ company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners,” the girl continued on, causing Weiss to sputter in indignation.

“Wha— how dare you!” 

While Weiss started in on the new girl, Ruby took the chance to escape. Making a break for it, she quietly snuck away, and headed down one of the smaller paths towards the campus. 

Once she was sure she was clear from the craziness, Ruby collapsed onto a nice patch of grass and breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Hey, are you okay? I saw the explosion earlier—that definitely didn't look good,” a kind voice asked in concern. Opening her eyes, Ruby came face to face with a familiar boy with blond hair. Squinting, she looked closer at his face, certain that she knew him somehow, and her eyes widened when she eventually recognized who he was. He was ‘Vomit Boy’ (as Yang had so eloquently dubbed him) from the airship! 

She realized that she had said the not-so-nice nickname out loud when his previous smile turned to a slight frown. “I am so sorry, I didn't mean to say that!” she apologized frantically, embarrassed at her slip. “ _ Today is not my day… _ ” she muttered under her breath. 

The boy just shook his head “It’s fine,” he said dismissively. “I’m Jaune, by the way, Jaune Arc. Short. Sweet. Rolls right off the tongue, ladies love it.” He grinned confidently as he helped her up off the ground. 

Ruby raised an eyebrow at that. “Really, do they?” she asked in disbelief. 

“They will … Well, my mom says all I … eh, never mind..” he trailed off, into an uncomfortable silence. 

Not being very good in awkward situations, Ruby pulled Crescent Rose from its place at her back and opened the large weapon up, “Sooo….I have  _ this _ !” Jaunes eyes widened as the large scythe opened up, and the blade fell to crush the stone right next to his feet. 

“Whoa, is that a scythe?” he asked, looking in awe at the red beast of a weapon in her hands. 

“Mhm, and it’s also a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle!” At his confusion, Ruby lifted it up and cocked it. “It’s also a gun!” she clarified. “What you got?” 

Jaune looked down at where his sword was secured. He removed it and it’s sheath—transforming it into a shield as he did—from his belt to show them off. “I have this sword,” he said sheepishly,  as he presented his own less than impressive weapon—at least by comparison to her scythe-gun, that was.

“Oh! What do they do?” Ruby asked excitedly, eyeing the shiny blade. 

“Uh, well the shield gets smaller,” he explained, ”so … when I get tired of carrying it, I can just … put it away!” He moved to demonstrate how it shrunk, almost dropping the shield in the process. 

Ruby tilted her head to the side in confusion. “But … wouldn’t it still weigh the same?” she asked, trying to understand the physics of it. Changing size shouldn’t alter the  _ weight _ of the object. 

“Yeah, it does …” he admitted, sighing. He re-attached it to his belt before he could drop it again. 

“Well, I’m kinda a dork when it comes to weapons … I guess I did kind of go a little overboard when designing it,” she said.

“Wait,” Jaune said, “you  _ made  _ that?”

“Of course,” she said, surprised that he didn’t know. “All students at Signal forge their own weapons. Didn’t you make yours?”

He hesitated. “It’s a hand-me-down. My great-great grandfather used it to fight in the war.”

“Sounds more like a family heirloom to me,” she giggled. Jaune looked at the weapon sadly, as if all of a sudden it held the weight of the world upon it.

“Well, I like it! Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days,” she told him, folding up her own weapon and putting it back on her belt. The two continued to walk down the path in a companionable silence, until Ruby realized she had no clue where they where they were going. 

“So … any idea where this path goes?” she asked

“No, I was following you,” Jaune admitted, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. The two broke into gales of laughter. “Maybe we should go back?” he suggested, and Ruby nodded. 

Turning round and heading back towards the courtyard, Ruby smiled. Even though she’d had a rough start to her day, she was now plus one friend—which was a marked improvement from her interactions with people thus far. 

She hoped that the rest of her first day at Beacon would continue in this more positive manner. It was the first day of the rest of her life, after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a little tricky to set up- interactions with Weiss and Jaune being similar while also different due to Ruby's differences in personality and character. (also, thank Roza for the dialogue extracts. I do not have the patience for that! so that is all her!!) but I'm quickly getting the hang of writing Older!Ruby and learning what kind of person she is. So hopefully I struggle a little less with her character in the future. 
> 
> (Next chapter might me out next Thursday rather then Wednesday. depends on when I can get access to a computer.)
> 
> As usual, Kudo's and Reviews are the Dust that fuels me! xx see you next week friendos~


	3. The Worst First Impression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby just can't catch a break... Thankfully, tomorrow is a new day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by: Tegan-Pen-Name-Pending 
> 
> (Quick note: I re-uploaded this chapter after my hungover ass put up that shoddy mobile version on boxing day, all fixed up!!) xx

Ruby and Jaune eventually made it to the auditorium where all the other first years were gathered for the opening ceremony, and they even made it on time, to their collective surprise. 

As they entered, Ruby was whisked away by her sister. “Ruby! Come on, It’s about to start! I found us a spot!” Yang said brightly, all but dragging the older girl away with barely enough time to say goodbye to Jaune before the two vanished into the sea of students. 

Yang quickly began to tell her all about the interesting people she’d met and how great the parts of the campus she’d seen were. Ruby considered telling her sister about her horrible interaction with the Schnee girl and the Dust explosion they caused, but decided against it; deciding she’d rather listen to the younger girl go on about how fantastic Beacon was. 

Underneath her mild annoyance at her sister that was still lingering for her basically getting rewarded for breaking the law, she  _ was  _ still happy to see that Yang was having fun. Yang was an incredibly skilled fighter, she  _ did _ deserve to be here, Ruby just wished she had been moved forward under better, less dangerous (and illegal) circumstances. 

Soon enough, Professor Ozpin came onto the stage and began to address them. His speech was interesting, to say the least. Ruby hoped she and her sister could live up to the expectations of the Academy and everything the Huntsmen stood for. 

As the two began to head out of the hall towards where they would be staying for the night, the Schnee Heiress Ruby had fought with earlier cornered her and shoved a pamphlet into her face. 

“The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company product. Although not mandatory…”  Ruby frowned as the heiress droned on and on with her clearly rehearsed tirade about the SDC.  She wasn't an idiot; she knew how to use Dust without causing a catastrophe!

Ruby yanked the pamphlet from the other girl’s hand, interrupting her rant. “Alright! I get it! Thank you for the  _ very _ helpful information. If I promise  _ not  _ to help you blow up the courtyard again, will you please leave me alone and stop yelling at me?!” Ruby all but shouted, her stress levels rising exponentially the longer she was in the other girl’s presence. 

Scowling, the white-haired girl crossed her arms over her chest. “You want me to stop yelling at you?” 

“Yes,” Ruby said shortly.

“Read this, and don’t ever talk to me again,” Weiss ordered, pointing to the pamflet before storming off. 

Ruby sighed and dropped her head down on her sister’s shoulder. “What was that about you blowing up the courtyard?” Yang asked, entirely too amused with her sister’s suffering. 

“I’ll tell you later,” she said, exhausted. “Let’s just get to the  ballroom Professor Goodwitch told us to go to. I’m so  _ tired _ .” 

Yang nodded, wrapping an arm around her sister and leading them to their destination. 

\---

Yang lay sprawled out next to her sister, flicking through her scroll as Ruby recounted her misadventures from this afternoon. She was trying very hard  _ not _ to laugh—Ruby really  _ was terrible _ with people. 

Mid-way through her story, her older sister trailed off, and when Yang looked up to see what had taken Ruby’s attention away from her story, she saw she was staring at a dark- haired girl with a bow in her hair, sitting quietly reading off in a corner by herself.  

“Who’s that? Another ‘ _ friend’  _ you made today, Sis?” Yang questioned, smiling and  pushing herself up into a sitting position. 

“No …” Ruby said, somewhat guiltily. “She’s the girl I left with Weiss when I snuck off—I mean, made my strategic retreat… I should probably go apologize to her for that at some point.”

Yang jumped up and began dragging her big sister with her. Ruby started to struggle when she saw which direction her younger sister was heading. “Well, no time like the present!” Yang said cheerfully, completely ignoring Ruby’s protests.

“Hello...!” Yang called out, waving to the girl as they stopped just before her. “I believe you two may know each other?”

The girl peered up at them questioningly from over her book. “Aren’t you that girl who exploded?” 

“Uh, yeah. My name’s Ruby.” Ruby mumbled, offering her hand to the girl. She didn’t move to take it. 

“Okay…?” the girl said slowly.

Yang gave her a look as if to say  _ ‘what are you doing?’.  _  Ruby just looked back, pleading with her eyes for help. She  _ hated  _ social interactions.

“So… What’s your name?” Yang inquired with a forced smile.

Sighing, the girl put her book down. “It’s Blake.” 

“Well Blake, I’m Yang! Ruby’s younger sister,” Yang said. “I like your bow, it goes great with your ... pajamas ...?” 

“Right….”  Blake responded dully, returning her attention to the book she’d been reading.

Sighing, Ruby gave up their poor attempt to make small talk.“I just wanted to thank you for stepping in earlier,” she said earnestly. “That’s why we came over, actually ... I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t gotten Weiss’s attention and given me that opportunity to escape. I should also apologize for that, it was rude of me to abandon you with her still mad. I’m sorry.” 

Blake looked back up, surprised. “It’s fine. I got away pretty quickly too, after she realised  _ you  _ were gone. I suggest you probably try avoiding her from now on, though.” 

“Yeah, that’s the plan.” 

“Anyway, I appreciate you coming over to apologize, Ruby, but if you two don’t mind ... I’d like to get back to my book.” 

At the more obvious dismissal, Ruby and Yang excused themselves and headed back over to their beds for the night. 

“There you go, Sis. Plus one friend—and if nothing else, then at least one ally. Sure, you may have made an enemy, but hey! You can only go forward from here, right?” Yang said as they climbed into their sleeping bags. 

Ruby smiled. “Yeah, I guess you're right—maybe today wasn’t too bad after all…. And like dad always says, tomorrow is a new day!” 

Yang nodded in agreement, before curling up in her bag and closing her eyes. “Tomorrow's a new day,” she repeated around a yawn.

Ruby smiled and petted her little sister on the head, saying a quiet goodnight before turning over and curling up inside her own sleeping bag.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas/Boxing Day Everyone!! 
> 
> Well, looks like I've managed to get this chapter out on time. Was kinda worried I wouldn't be able to since I won't have access to my computer for a few days... But apparently I can upload from my phone (it's just much harder) 
> 
> Anywho! Hope everyone had lovely holidays, mine were great (and I'm suffering from the hangover to prove it lol) really hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! Next chapter will be out in the new year!! 
> 
> And in the next few days, I will be posting a pre cannon one-shot for this story, it's the story of why Summer left and how that effected everyone. (Since a bunch of people in the STRQ Discord where interested in it I figured I'd write a little something for it)


	4. Yay! Teamwork, I guess...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Partners are acquired, not everyone is pleased with their selections.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by: Tegan-Pen-Name-Pending & ArcWreath 
> 
> Sorry for the delay, New Years has been hectic and I've only just gotten home.

It was finally time for initiation, and Yang could not be more excited to show off her skills! She was two years younger than any other student in her class, and she couldn’t wait to prove herself to be just as skilled of a fighter as the rest of them.

Beacon only ever took in the best and brightest each year . She would prove to everyone that she had just as much right to be here as they did. 

Sliding Ember Celica into place and checking her extra ammo, Yang smiled. Even at Signal she had been one of the best, able to take on opponents twice her size and skill. She could do this. 

“Hey Yang, should I take my Dust bullets too, just in case?” Ruby asked from the next locker over, where she was casting a critical eye over her cartridge of lightning Dust rounds.

“Just your normal ones should do. This is just an initiation exercise—I don’t see the point in wasting the Dust,” the blonde responded. Ruby nodded, putting her Dust rounds away and packing her normal rifle bullets into the pouch on her belt instead. 

They headed out to the cliff where they’d been told to meet Professor Ozpin and Goodwitch once they were ready. The two adults were standing at the end of what looked like a row of metal plates in the ground. Yang could only wonder what they did. 

Unlike the day before, Ruby looked to be on cloud nine. This was her element, Yang knew—fresh air, a Grimm infested forest and Crescent Rose in hand. This was definitely Ruby at her  _ best _ . 

Once all the first years were gathered on the cliff, the Professors had them all line up on the platforms before they began their explanation of the initiation exercise. 

“For years, you have trained to become warriors,” Ozpin began, taking a sip from his coffee mug “And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest.”

Professor Goodwitch took over, “Now, I’m sure many of you have heard rumours about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates….” she paused, and everyone leaned forward in anticipation, “ _ today.”  _

Ruby groaned.

“These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon,” Ozpin continued on. “So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well.”

“That being said … the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years.”

“What?!” Ruby cried out in panic. 

“See, I told you,” a girl with orange hair said to the boy next to her, from further down. 

“After you’ve partnered up,” the professor went on, ignoring the students’ reactions, “you will make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way—do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you  _ will _ die.”

“You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics; each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing—and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?” 

Jaune raised his hand. “Yeah, um, sir—”

Professor Ozpin interrupted him, “Good. Now, take your positions.” Immediately, all the students readied themselves for departure. All except for Jaune, who still had his hand in the air and was attempting to get the professor's attention. 

“Uh, sir? I’ve got, um, a question … “ Suddenly, one of the  metal platforms shot up off the ground, rocketing Weiss into the air. Jaune didn’t seem to notice. He continued on, oblivious. “This landing ... strategy ... thing, uh, w-what is it? Are you, like, dropping us off or something?’

“No,” Professor Ozpin said, “you  _ will  _ be falling.” As if to emphasize his words, the second platform shot up, and another student went flying. 

“Oh ... I see …” Jaune said, noticing for the first time what was going on. He ran a hand through his hair nervously. “So, did you, like, hand us parachutes first?” The third platform went, hurtling the orange-haired girl into the air. She let out a gleeful shout. 

“No. You will be using your  _ own _ landing strategy.”

“Uh-huh …yeah ...” the boy said slowly. 

Another student was launched, until Yang was next. She gave Ruby a smile and a wink, sliding on her aviators, and then away she went- firing her gauntlets once she was airborne to give herself an extra kick.

A few seconds later, Jaune’s girlish screaming could be heard from behind. 

**\---**

The moment Ruby’s feet hit the ground, she was off running. She  _ had _ to find Yang! She couldn’t be paired with just anyone, that would be a nightmare! Her mind in overdrive, she tried desperately to think of anyone else here she could partner herself with other than Yang. 

Jaune? _ He’s nice, but probably not very good in a fight. _

Blake? _ Maybe, she liked books and seemed smart. But … she seemed even  _ less  _ sociable than Ruby herself was. Probably hard to hold a conversation with. _

She made her way through the forest, trying to think if there  _ anyone _ else she knew, anyone  _ at all _ she could pair herself with. She was so distracted she almost ran face-first into the worst possible person to be partnered with: Weiss Schnee.

The two stared at one another for a long moment—Ruby begrudgingly accepting her poor fate, and Weiss … well, she made her displeasure with the predicament very clear. 

“No,” she stated firmly, and stormed off—only to come back a moment later. 

“This does not make us friends!” Begrudgingly, she offered her hand to Ruby. Ruby took it and gave it a quick shake. “I’m Ruby,” she said, “I don’t think I actually got to introduce myself yesterday.”

“Hmph. Well, Ruby, we had better start making our way northward. We have much ground to cover before we locate the temple.” With that said, Weiss set off, with Ruby close behind her. 

The two walked in silence for quite some time before Ruby got fed up with the quiet. They were going to be partners for the next four years; Weiss may not want to be friends, but the two of them were going to need to learn how to communicate with one another. That, and Ruby was pretty sure that neither of them knew where they were going. 

Ruby sped up so that the two of them were now keeping pace. “So ... Weiss, any idea how much further this temple thingy is?” 

Weiss rolled her eyes. “No Ruby, I do not know how much farther it is. Maybe if we could get above these trees we could see how far away it is.” 

“I’ll go take a look! Back in a flash!” she said, disappearing up into the greenery in a burst of rose petals. Reaching the top of the tree, she began to scan the area. From her new vantage point, it was easy to spot the ruins of the temple they were meant to be heading for. They were definitely on the right track. It was just so far away!  

Well, It was good to know they heading in the right direction and weren’t lost. Ruby was sure they would make it just fine. 

As she made her way down from the tree, Ruby spotted Weiss surrounded by Grimm, one of them heading right for her.  She wasn’t moving to attack it, and her rapier was held in a defensive manner. Why wasn’t she attacking?

Her eyes hardening, Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose and rushed in to defend her partner.  

\---

Blake watched the young blonde girl— _ Yang, _ she recalled—irresponsibly waltz through the forest, shouting her sister’s name with little regard for the dangers surrounding her. They were in a Grimm-infested forest, and here she was yelling like she hadn’t a care in the world. 

“What a child,” Blake muttered to herself.  _ ‘She’s going to get herself killed.’ _ Muffling a sigh, Blake quietly moved through the trees, shadowing the girl. She’d wait untill she attracted the Grimm, and when they attacked her and she couldn’t handle it, Blake would step in and take them out. Then convince the girl to leave! She was obviously far too young to be here. She didn’t get the gravity of the situation they were all in. 

As if on cue, Yang stumbled upon a pair of  Ursai. Blake readied herself to intervene, but was shocked to see the young girl take the two enormous monsters head on, not even flinching. And … she—was she  _ bantering _ at them? Either this girl was a prodigy, or she was just plain  _ crazy _ . 

Suddenly Yang stopped, her eyes following something through the air. It was a strand of golden hair.

All of a sudden, the blonde was moving again, her hair aflame. She was faster, her fists hitting harder and more viciously than before. Blake stood there in the trees watching as she took the first beast down.

Right before Yang turned her attention back to the second Ursa, Blake threw her weapon, hitting it squarely in the back of the neck, killing it instantly. 

Yang smiled at her as she jumped down from the tree. They made eye contact. This terrifyingly powerful young girl was now her partner. Her fate was sealed. 

“Eh, I coulda taken him,” Yang said with a shrug. 

Prodigy or crazy? Blake still wasn’t sure. But, she had four years to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!! Happy New Year!!  
> First Chapter of 2k19! 
> 
> This chapter was a lot of fun to write!! The set up for the main conflict between Ruby and Weiss, Blake's first impression of Yang... I'm really enjoying withing them!! 
> 
> Next chapter is a big one! Team's RWBY & JNPR fight together for the first time and the roads to friendship begin to forge... 
> 
> Comments and Kudos are always appreciated!! Anywho, I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year! See Ya'll again next week!! :D


	5. Conflict resolution! Or… something like that?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teamwork blossoms on the face of adversity!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta by: Tegan-Pen-Name-Pending & ArcWraith (Honestly, this chapter would not be what it is without the help these two have me!! so extra Kudo's to them!! 💕 )

Weiss, surrounded on all sides by Beowolves, readied herself for the oncoming attack. _‘Remember your training, Weiss’,_ she thought to herself, ‘ _head up, shoulders back, right foot forward—not that far forward! Slow your breathing … wait for the right time to strike ...’_

Satisfied, she narrowed her eyes and slid into an attack position. She launched herself towards the first of the pack, her blade igniting. Just as she was about to strike, suddenly out of nowhere Ruby was there, taking her kill and throwing her off-balance. Stumbling, Weiss gave a shout and hastily aimed her sword in another direction, setting a tree on fire in her attempt to _not_ kill her new partner.

The blast of flame caused Ruby to turn and check on the other girl. Sensing an opportunity, the alpha attacked her, sending her reeling into the other girl. “Hey, watch it!” Ruby barked, quickly getting back to her feet.

“Excuse me, _you_ attacked out of turn!” Weiss fumed. “I could have killed you!”

The dark-haired girl just rolled her eyes. “You’ll have to try a lot harder than that,” she retorted. The two turned to stand back-to-back, ready to begin taking down the wolves surrounding them.

However, the forest was quickly catching alight, flames racing through the undergrowth. They wouldn’t manage to kill all the Grimm _and_ escape the fire. Weiss grabbed Ruby by the hand. “We have to go!” she said, dragging her away from the growing inferno.

Once they were far enough away to be out of danger, they stopped to catch their breath. Ruby turned, still winded and panting, and glared at Weiss. “What the hell was that? That should have been _easy_ ,” she seethed.

“Well, if you had exercised even the _slightest_ bit of caution with the placement of your strikes, I wouldn’t have set the forest on fire!” Weiss snapped, gesturing angrily.

“What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?” Ruby scoffed, crossing her arms.

“I’m just surprised that someone who talks so _much_ would communicate so _little_ during an encounter,” she hissed.

“Communicate—you were just standing there! I was _trying_ to protect you! What did you want me to communicate? _‘Weiss, look out! That Beowolf is coming for you’_ ?” Ruby retorted. She marched up to Weiss, getting right in her face. “You rarely have time to talk in a battle. God, it’s like you’ve never seen active combat before. In a _real_ fight, those who don’t attack first don’t survive. The real world is full of monsters that want us dead. There isn’t _time_ to take turns, or keep set formations. The strong live, and the weak die.”

Weiss wanted to be pissed. She wanted to say something scathing and rude, but nothing came to mind. She was shocked; speechless by the steel in both Ruby’s tone and the hardness of her silver eyes.  

When Weiss gave no response, the other girl turned away. “Come on,” she said. “I saw where the temple is located. Let’s go.”

After a moment of hesitation, Weiss followed after her.

\---

Blake and Yang made it to the clearing where the temple was located in record time, only running into a few smaller Grimm that they took out together with ease. “Think this is it?” Yang asked, trying to be humorous as they headed down the hill they were situated on. Blake just rolled her eyes and kept going forward.

The two walked slowly through the ruins, looking over the relics—or what was meant to be relics. “Chess pieces?” Blake muttered under her breath. She stopped in front of a black castle piece.

“Some of them are gone. Hm. I guess we weren't the first to arrive.” Yang observed, eyeing the empty plateau.

Blake shrugged. “Well, I guess we should pick one.”

Yang’s attention quickly went to a golden knight piece, and she instantly knew this was the one she’ll choose. “How about a cute lil’ pony?” she called out cheerfully, picking up the knight and holding it aloft so that her partner could see.

Blake smiled, rolling her eyes. “Sure, why not.”

“That wasn’t too hard,” Yang commented as they walked back over to each other.

“Well, it’s not like this place is difficult to find.” Blake said. The two smiled at each other.

A scream echoed through the forest, disturbing the moment.

“That girl’s in trouble!” Yang exclaimed, looking in the direction the sound came from. “Blake, did you hear that? What should we do?”

All at once, it was as if the area collapsed into chaos.

First, Ruby fell out of the sky—only to be knocked into a tree by Jaune. Then, another pair came riding in from the forest _on an Ursa_.

Ruby jumped down from the tree and headed over to Yang. The two sisters went in for a hug, calling out one another’s names, only to be disrupted by the orange haired girl—“Nora!” she proclaimed.

_And then_ ! If things weren't insane enough, _Pyrrha Nikos_ ran through with a Deathstalker at her heels.

All the while Blake narrated every mad thing going down as they happened.

It was all just ... too much for Yang. “I can't take it anymore!” she exploded. “Can everyone just chill out for two seconds before something _crazy_ happens again!?”

She could almost _feel_ the few precious seconds she'd requested tick by before Ruby was tapping her arm to show her a Nevermore flying over the clearing with … _Weiss_ _Schnee_ hanging from one of its talons.

“ _Why did you leave me_?” Weiss called down.

Ruby just rolled her eyes. “I said _jump_ ,” she called back.

“She's gonna fall,” Blake warned, looking up at the stranded heiress.

“She'll be fiiine.”

“She's falling,” Ren—Nora had called him that—stated.

Jaune, it seemed, took this as his moment to swoop in and save the ‘damsel in distress’. Launching himself from the tree, he caught Weiss in his arms, only to realize … that both of them were still in the air … and still falling. They both screamed, clutching each other in fear and plummeted to the earth.

Hitting the ground first, Jaune was at least able to cushion Weiss’s fall. “My hero,” she said sarcastically, as she stood and picked up her fallen blade.

All the while, Pyrrha was _still_ being chased by the Deathstalker.

Managing to escape it momentarily, the red-head came tumbling to the ground before the group standing together in front of the temple.

“Great! The gang’s all here, now we can all die _together_!” Yang quipped, looking around at the crazy mess of large and dangerous Grimm surrounding the clearing.

Ruby’s eyes narrowed as she watched the Deathstalker, cocking Crescent Rose. That was _not_ a good look, Yang knew that look. “Not if I have anything to say about it!” she said, before racing off headlong toward the monster.

\---

Firing her rifle and swinging the weapon around to hack at the Deathstalker, Ruby frowned when her blade didn’t pierce it. The armor was too thick, and she was thrown backwards when one of its claws threw her off.

The Grimm began to advance towards her, and she realized she wouldn’t be able to kill it as easily as she first thought. Ruby quickly scrambled up, giving one last shot to the monster to distract it before putting her weapon away, and ran. The Grimm sped after her.

“Ruby!!” Yang cried out, rushing forward.

Ruby was halfway across the clearing when she heard the telltale caw from the Nevermore above. Spreading its enormous wings, the bird-like Grimm sent a storm of feathers down at her. She managed to dodge the first few, but one caught the end of her hood, effectively immobilizing her and creating a deadly barrier around her that Yang could not penetrate. Panic quickly began to fill her as she failed to pull herself free.

“Ruby! Get out of there!” Yang called out helplessly.

“I’m trying!” Ruby shouted, frantically tugging at her hood, to no avail. Looking up, she saw that the Deathstalker had finally caught up and was about to go in for the kill.

“Ruby—” Yang shouted again, but was interrupted when a white blur drove itself around the feathers and in front of the Deathstalker’s attack, freezing its stinger mere inches from Ruby’s head.

“You are such a reckless _idiot_ ,” Weiss’ voice came through the ringing in Ruby’s ears. “ _'The world is so dangerous', 'those who don't act first will die in battle!'._ You sure are doing an excellent job of proving your own philosophy wrong, aren't you? Maybe you should think before charging in for once.”

Look up at her savior, Ruby blinked. “Weiss?”

“You’re hyperactive, reckless, rude, and _don’t_ get me started on your fighting style!” the other girl began, but then hesitated. “And I suppose… I can be… difficult. But, if we’re going to do this then we have to do it together.” She offered Ruby her hand with a smile, helping to pull her to her feet. “So, perhaps we could both promise to be nicer and more understanding of one another.”

“I’d like that,” Ruby said, smiling back at her.

Once they’d unhooked her hood, Yang came running over and threw herself at her sister. “I’m so happy you’re okay,” she said, hugging her close.

As they all regrouped, the Nevermore swooped overhead again. “Uh, guys? That thing is circling back … what are we gonna do?” Jaune asked nervously, pointing up.

“Look, there is no sense in dilly dallying, our objective is right in front of us.” Weiss pointed out.

Ruby nodded. “She’s right. Our mission is to grab an artifact and head back to the cliffs—there's no need to fight these things.”  

“Run and live. _That_ is an idea I can get behind,” Jaune said in relief. With that settled, Ruby and Jaune headed over and picked up their own relics. They turned and gave each other a grin.  

Suddenly, the cracking of ice coming from the Deathstalker caught everyone's attention, “It’s time we left.” Ren said seriously.

“Right. Lets go,” Ruby agreed.

\---

Racing through the abandoned temple, the group quickly realised they would not be able to escape without taking down the Grimm chasing them first, and so they sprung into action.

Ruby, taking point, lead the majority of the group across the bridge. They had almost made it across when suddenly, the Nevermore swooped down, breaking apart the structure and causing the group to scatter. Once the dust settled, Ruby began scanning the area, noticing that while her sister and Weiss were safely on the same side of the bridge as her along with Jaune and Nora, the rest had become separated from them and were on the other side, still fighting the Deathstalker.

Nora and Jaune made the decision to head back over and help the others, while Ruby and her two companions began making their way up the tower to draw the Nevermore away.

Glancing back once they reached the top, Ruby watched as Nora accidentally knocked Blake back off the edge in all the commotion. Thankfully, Blake’s reflexes kicked in immediately and she was able to use her weapon to save herself, firing it at the bridge where it hooked deeply into the side. She swung around and threw herself at the Nevermore, landing several blows to it as she made her way to the temple wall to rejoin her own partner. “It’s tougher than it looks,” she said, landing beside Yang and Weiss.

“Then let’s hit it with everything we’ve got!” Yang replied, readying her gauntlets for battle.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang unleashed a barrage of attacks at the Nevermore as it swooped down on them. It continued forward in spite of their attacks, quickly taking out the pillars of the tower they were perched on. The four girls quickly raced upward through the debris, using their own battle skills to dodge the falling rubble and make it safely back to stable ground.

“None of this is working,” Weiss said crossly, looking out at the chaos around them.

Ruby began to scan the area as well, watching as Yang kept the Nevermore busy, then switching to Jaune and his group as they took on the Deathstalker, then to Blake—her eyes drawn to her weapon as she threw it at the monster above.

With a spark of brilliance, an idea began to take form. She turned to look back at Weiss. “I have a plan,” Ruby informed her partner, “cover me!” Before Weiss could reply, she had already rocketed herself into the fray.

\---

Watching the hooded girl fly from one end of the battle to the next, informing the others of her plan, Weiss considered everything she’d learned about her new partner.

While she didn’t _really_ know much about Ruby, she had learned enough about the _s_ ort of person she was during their time in the forest together to know that she was immature, reckless and a little bit scary. But Weiss didn’t _need_ to know much to see that she was also brave, caring and a total badass … a contradictory mess of traits that Weiss had never known a single person could be all at once.

Maybe having Ruby on her team wouldn’t be so terrible, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy Damn! This chapter!!! We have been looking forward to this chapter for so long! it's definitely my favorite so far! the teams coming together, the beginning of everything to come! "Players & Pieces p1 & p2" are still my favorite episodes even six years in, and i really hope we were able to do them justice! 
> 
> Long chapter this week, next week is a rather short chapter. but, the week after is another long chapter, so hopefully that'll make up for it. 
> 
> as always, thank you for reading!! we really appreciate it! Your Comments & Kudos really do inspire us! ❤❤❤


	6. The the Weight of Responsibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ozpin Reflects upon his new students and the decisions he's made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-ed by: Tegan-Pen-Name-Pending & ArcWraith 
> 
> After several re-writes, this chapter is finally done and ready to be unleashed unto the world!!!

Looking through his scroll, Ozpin glanced over his list of teams a final time, double-checking that everything was perfect. But as he looked over each new student, he couldn't help but reflect on what their fates would be…he wondered which ones would make it through all four years of training, who will drop out, who would fall behind…and who would die. 

Becoming a huntsman was no easy task, and at least forty percent of each new group would fail to make it to the end of their training. Not everyone who made it into Beacon truly had what it took to bare the title.

With one last, fleeting glance at the groups on the roster, Ozpin made his way out onto the stage, where all the students waited impatiently below, to bring his teams together for the first time. 

Group by group, Ozpin called them up to the stage. 

“Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie,” he announced, as the aforementioned students stood before him. “You four collected the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR—led by Jaune Arc.” 

Immediately, Ozpin could see the young man’s eyes fill with trepidation — it was clear he didn’t think himself much of a leader. But Ozpin had lived a very long life … and he knew talent when he saw it, considering  _ how  _ Mr Arc got himself into the school in the first place, the young man had a talent, and the headmaster was going to give him the chance to flourish. “Congratulations, young man.” 

Grinning,  Miss Nikos punched Mr Arc on the arm in a friendly manner, knocking the poor boy over. Sheepishly, she helped back him up and the four teammates left the stage together as another group of students walked up.

“And finally, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee and Yang Xiao Long,” Professor Ozpin addressed them. “You four retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by Ruby Rose.” Ozpin noted the shock on Miss Schnee’s face as Ruby was called out to be the leader — he could only assume that she was surprised he hadn’t made  _ her _ team leader instead.

“I’m so proud of you!” Yang beamed, throwing herself at her older sister. 

This girl ... 

As he watched the display of sisterly affection between the two girls, Ozpin considered his decision for a moment. Was bringing her here truly the right choice? It could possibly be putting her life in danger... more than any other Huntress-in-training; should the secrets he and her family have kept safe for years come to light.

But … as he looked at the joy on her face as the four girls came together, he decided that he was correct in allowing Miss Xiao Long early admittance. 

If anyone found out who she was… it would be more than enough to paint a deadly target upon her back… But. Here, there were numerous Huntsmen around to protect her should anything go wrong. Him, his inner circle, and her new team. They would keep each other safe! 

Bringing her here had to be the right decision. It  _ had  _ to be. 

Ozpin didn’t know what he would do if he had to watch another young girl perish because of a choice  _ he  _ had made for them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter this week. 😅
> 
> originally, we had considered putting this at the beginning of the next chapter. But i decided that it sat better as a stand alone. Ozpin, I found was a particularly hard character to write, but... I've begun to get into his better!! 💙💙💙
> 
> Small Hiatus next week, I have a lot on over the next two weeks and probably won't have a lot of time to fix & finish off Ch7 to a point that I'd be happy to put it out onto the internet. but, posting will continue as usual on Jan 30th! 👌
> 
> any-who! enjoy this weeks chapter!! it was a lot of work!
> 
> Comments and Kudos are always appreciated! 💕


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